Asian Youth Games set to return after a 12-year hiatus

A total of 21 sports will be a part of the 2025 Asian Youth Games, which will be held in Bahrain, the Olympic Council of Asia announced earlier this week.

These include mainstream sports like athletics, badminton, swimming, golf, table tennis as well as events like E-sports, futsal, teqball and others.

Third edition of the continental event

Slated to be held from 22 October 2025 to 31 October 2025, the Asian Youth Games will be the third edition of the continental event, marking a return after a 12-year hiatus. 

The Asian Youth Games were first held in 2009 and was a part of Singapore's bid to host the 2010 Youth Olympic Games. The Games were then held in China back in 2013 before being out of the global sporting calendar.

The Asian Youth Games was expected to be held in 2017 in Hambantota, Sri Lanka before being awarded to Jakarta and being eventually called off entirely.

Similarly, the 2021 edition was also cancelled due to the covid-19 pandemic. That edition was first awarded to Surabaya, Indonesia before being moved to Shantou, China.

Even the 2025 Asian Games were first slated to be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. However, the country was unable to complete the construction of their proposed $289 million Olympic campus and requested the Olympic Council of Asia to delay the Games by a year.

However, the continental body refrained from postponing the event and awarded the hosting rights to Manama, Bahrain in early December last year.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was also signed between the two parties later that month on 26 December, 2024. 

"The Olympic Council of Asia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Bahrain Olympic Committee for hosting the 3rd Asian Youth Games in 2025," the continental body had said in a statement back then.

India has won a total of 11 medals, including five gold at the Asian Youth Games – all of which came in the inaugural edition in 2009.

Athletes from the country participated under a neutral Olympic flag in the second edition held in 2013 with the Indian Olympic Association being suspended then owing to political interference. 

Sports at the 2025 Asian Youth Games

The following are the sports that will be featured at the games:

Athletics, Badminton, 3x3 Basketball, Equestrian, Futsal, Golf, Handball, Judo, Jujitsu, Mixed Martial Arts, Road Cycling, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Triathlon, Wrestling, Weightlifting, Kabaddi, Volleyball, Teqball and E-sports.